Hindu youths attacked with knives and rods outside mosque for posting status supporting 'The Kerala Story'

Case ID : d1fb7c2 | Location : Balisana, Gujarat, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 15 July, 2023

Case ID : d1fb7c2

Balisana, Gujarat, India

15 July, 2023

Hindu youths attacked with knives and rods outside mosque for posting status supporting 'The Kerala Story'

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim

Case Summary

In Balisana, Patan district, Gujarat, Hindu youths were attacked for posting a status in support of the film 'The Kerala Story'. Despite initial tensions being calmed, a Muslim mob attacked five Hindu youths with sharp weapons and iron rods, injuring three who were then undergoing treatment in Radhanpur. The village was heavily patrolled due to heightened tensions. The conflict began when a class 10 student posted a WhatsApp status supporting the film, leading to abuse from a Muslim youth. The student was forced to apologise at a local mosque, but the situation escalated. On July 16, 2023, a Hindu youth was ambushed by a crowd near the mosque, who assaulted him while shouting threats. "Kill them, cut them, do not let them go alive", they said. He was severely beaten by Abdul Qadri and others, and his friends who tried to intervene were also attacked. This incident incited anger within the Hindu community. Hitesh Thakkar of the VHP's Mehsana division suggested that there is a systematic attempt to Islamise certain areas, citing the presence of a large, allegedly illegal, Muslim population in these villages. The police registered a case against ten individuals under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Gujarat Police Act (GPA). The accused are Abdul Quader, Tofeeq Hussain Shaikh, Sahad Mohammad Hasab Shaikh, Arif Abdul Shaikh, Ilyas Ibrahim Shaikh, Faizra Ali Shaikh, Sikandar Abdul, Khalil Dilawar, and Abdul Qadri alias Bhailu Master's son.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. In this case, Hindu youths were attacked for posting a status in support of the film 'The Kerala Story'. Sudipto Sen’s film ‘The Kerala Story’ was released on 26th April 2023. The movie brought forth the harsh reality of Islamic radicalisation, prevalent across the world. The film is based on the true stories of Hindu and Christian girls in Kerala who were first trapped into love jihad by Islamists in Kerala and later sent to Iraq and Syria to become ISIS terrorists. Here, the Muslims took offence to Hindus supporting the movie, which which exposes radicalization and the indoctrination of non-Muslims, especially Hindus into Islam. The details reveal that he was attacked for supporting a movie that raised a voice against the atrocities being committed against his fellow Hindus making it a clear act of religious intolerance and hatred, which is why this case has been included in the hate tracker.